


A Different Way

by SebNicolai



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fred doesn't die because it my fic, Hogwarts Eighth Year, I Don't Even Know, M/M, PTSD, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Prompt Fic, Roommates, some het in the beggining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:21:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28859511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SebNicolai/pseuds/SebNicolai
Summary: Harry is suffering from PTSD after the second war with Voldemort and he has erectile dysfunction as a result. A side effect of dying he assures Ginny, all he needs is time to recover. Cue Draco Malfoy, a cockroach and Harry's lap. In Draco's defense it was a big cockroach
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Fred Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor Draco Malfoy/Charlie Weasley, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	A Different Way

**Author's Note:**

> I found this prompt in a Facebook group I'm in. Hope you guys like it. I repeat a lot of words that are canon in this chapter because in as much as its a different take on the Final Battle most of it is just the same. Everything after this chapter though will be different. Also I haven't edited this yet. A lot of time skips happen so forgive me. I didn't want to rewrite the whole battle just point out the differences.

…The silence swallowed them all again. Every head turned, every eye in the place seemed to have found Harry, to hold him frozen in the glare of thousands of invisible beams. Then a figure rose from the Slytherin table and he recognized Pansy Parkinson as she raised a shaking arm and screamed,

“But he’s there! Potter’s there! Someone grab him!”

Before Harry could speak, there was a massive movement. The Gryffindors in front of him had risen and stood facing, not Harry, but the Slytherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood, and almost at the same moment, the Ravenclaws, all of them with their backs to Harry, all of them looking toward Pansy instead, and Harry, awestruck and overwhelmed, saw wands emerging everywhere, pulled from beneath cloaks and from under sleeves.

“Thank you, Miss Parkinson,” said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. “You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow.”

“What if…what if we want to stay and fight too?” An irritated voice shouted from the Slytherin table and the hall was deadly quiet. Harry turned and looked at where Draco Malfoy the Slytherin Prince himself was standing looking exasperated.

“Mr. Malfoy?” Professor McGonagall chocked out.

“What?” Malfoy asked angrily. “Did it ever occur to you that not all the Slytherins want to follow the dark lord? That you leave us no choice because that’s what you expect from us? We have muggleborns and half-bloods in our house too and not all of us are the paragon of evil.”

“What are you on about Malfoy? You’re probably a bloody death eater already.” A sixth year Hufflepuff sneered.

“I had no freaking choice! The only person who ever offered to help me was Dumbledore and that was only at the end! I couldn’t do anything about it then but I’ll be damned if I don’t do shit about it now! I’m staying whether you like it or not and the rest of you can shove it!” He stormed out of the hall with Blaise Zabini and Parkinson in toll.

…looked like an ancient, discolored tiara. He had already stretched out his hand, though he remained ten feet away, when a voice behind him said, “Hold it, Potter.” A familiar voice said, he turned around and found Crabbe and Goyle standing behind him, shoulder to shoulder, wands pointing right at Harry. Through the small space between their jeering faces he saw Draco Malfoy.

“Drop your wands you idiots, we’re not here for a fight.” Malfoy said pushing between them and they reluctantly dropped their wands.

“Then what are you here for Malfoy? I don’t have time for games.” Harry spat.

“That’s my wand you’re holding, Potter,” said Malfoy waving a wand in his hand, “This one doesn’t work.”

“Not anymore,” panted Harry, tightening his grip on the hawthorn wand. “Winners, keepers, Malfoy. Who’s lent you theirs?”

“My mother,” said Draco.

Harry laughed, though there was nothing very humorous about the situation. He could not hear Ron or Hermione anymore. They seemed to have run out of earshot, searching for the diadem. “So how come you three aren’t with Voldemort?” asked Harry.

“Didn’t you hear a thing I said in the hall? I know you were there. I don’t take orders from a crazy, dead, half-blood bastard. And if I need to make it out of here alive, I can’t use this defective wand now can I?”

“So how did you get in here?” he asked, trying to distract them from the wand. Malfoy had a point but Harry still didn’t trust that he had deflected.

“I virtually lived in the Room of Hidden Things all last year,” said Malfoy, his voice brittle. “I know how to get in.” “We was hiding in the corridor outside,” grunted Goyle. “We can do Disslusion Charms now! And then,” his face split into a gormless grin, “you turned up right in front of us and said you was looking for a die-dum! What’s a die-dum?”

“Harry?” Ron’s voice echoed suddenly from the other side of the wall to Harry’s right. “Are you talking to someone?”

With a whip-like movement, Crabbe pointed his wand at the fifty-foot mountain of old furniture, of broken trunks, of old books and robes and unidentifiable junk, and shouted, “Descendo!”

The wall began to totter, then the top third crumbled into the aisle next door where Ron stood. “Ron!” Harry bellowed, as somewhere out of sight Hermione screamed, and Harry heard innumerable objects crashing to the floor on the other side of the destabilized the destabilized wall: He pointed his wand at the rampart, cried, “Finite!” and it steadied.

“No!” shouted Malfoy, staying Crabbe’s arm as the latter made to repeat his spell. “If you wreck the room you might bury this diadem thing!” “What’s that matter?” said Crabbe, tugging him self free.

“I thought we were here for your wand?” “Potter came in here to get it,” said Malfoy with ill-disguised impatience at the slow-wittedness of his colleagues, “so that must mean —”

“‘Must mean’?” Crabbe turned on Malfoy with undisguised ferocity. “It means it’s important! He wouldn’t be foolish enough to come to Hogwarts unless it was for something important and the Dark Lord knew he would be here. We get my wand and let him do whatever it is he came to do. Got it?” To say Harry was shocked was an understatement. Could Malfoy be telling the truth? Was he really fighting against the death eaters?

“Harry?” shouted Ron again, from the other side of the junk wall. “What’s going on?”

  
“Harry?” mimicked Crabbe. “What’s going — no, Potter! Crucio!” Harry had lunged for the tiara; Crabbe’s curse missed him but hit the stone bust, which flew into the air; the diadem soared upward and then dropped outof sight in the mass of objects on which the bust had rested. “STOP!” Malfoy shouted at Crabbe, his voice echoing through the enormous room. “What are you doing?”

A jet of scarlet light shot past Harry by inches: Hermione had run around the corner behind him and sent a Stunning Spell straight at Crabbe’s head. It only missed because Malfoy pulled him out of the way. “It’s that Mudblood! Avada Kedavra!” Harry saw Hermione dive aside, and his fury that Crabbe had aimed to kill wiped all else from his mind. He shot a Stunning Spell at Crabbe, who lurched out of the way, knocking Malfoy’s wand out of his hand; it rolled out of sight beneath a mountain of broken furniture and boxes.

  
“Don’t kill him! DON’T KILL HIM!” Malfoy yelled at Crabbe and Goyle, who were both aiming at Harry: Their split second’s hesitation was all Harry needed. “Expelliarmus!” Goyle’s wand flew out of his hand and disappeared into the bulwark of objects beside him; Goyle leapt foolishly on the spot, trying to retrieve it; Malfoy jumped out of range of Hermione’s second Stunning Spell, and Ron,appearing suddenly at the end of the aisle, shot a full Body-Bind Curse at Crabbe, which narrowly missed. Crabbe wheeled around and screamed, “Avada Kedavra!” again. Ron leapt out of sight to avoid the jet of green light. The wandless Malfoy cowered behind a three-legged wardrobe. Goyle had found his wand and cast a Crucio at Malfoy whose ear piercing scream filled the whole room.

“Expelliarmus!” Harry shouted and Goyle’s wand flew towards him. He caught it and pocketed it. “It’s somewhere here!” Harry yelled at Hermione, pointing at the pile of junk into which the old tiara had fallen. “Look for it while I go and help R —”

“HARRY!” she screamed.

  
A roaring, billowing noise behind him gave him a moment’s warning. He turned and saw both Ron and Crabbe running as hard as they could up the aisle toward them. “Like it hot, scum?” roared Crabbe as he ran. But he seemed to have no control over what he had done. Flames of abnormal size were pursuing them, licking up the sides of the junk bulwarks, which were crumbling to soot at their touch.

“Aguamenti!” Harry bawled, but the jet of water that soared from the tip of his wand evaporated in the air. “RUN!”

Goyle grabbed a weak Malfoy dragged him along; Crabbe outstripped all of them, now looking terrified; Harry, Ron, and Hermione pelted along in his wake, and the fire pursued them. It was not normal fire; Crabbe had used a curse of which Harry had no knowledge: As they turned a corner the flames chased them as though they were alive, sentient, intent upon killing them. Now the fire was mutating, forming a gigantic pack of fiery beasts: Flaming serpents, chimaeras, and dragons rose and fell and rose again, and the detritus of centuries on which they were feeding was thrown up in the air into their fanged mouths, tossed high on clawed feet, before being consumed by the inferno. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had vanished from view.

…“Harry, let’s get out, let’s get out!” bellowed Ron, though it was impossible to see where the door was through the black smoke. And then Harry heard a thin, piteous human scream from amidst the terrible commotion, the thunder of devouring flame.

“It’s — too — dangerous — !” Ron yelled, but Harry wheeled in the air. His glasses giving his eyes some small protection from the smoke, he raked the firestorm below, seeking a sign of life, a limb or a face that was not yet charred like wood. . . .

And he saw them: Malfoy with his arms around the unconscious Goyle, the pair of them perched on a fragile tower of charred desks, and Harry dived. Malfoy saw him coming and raised one arm, but even as Harry grasped it he knew at once that it was no good: Goyle was too heavy and Malfoy’s hand, covered in sweat, slid instantly out of Harry’s —

“IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I’LL KILL YOU, HARRY!” roared Ron’s voice, and, as a great flaming chimaera bore down upon them, he and Hermione dragged Goyle onto their broom and rose, rolling and pitching, into the air once more as Malfoy clambered up behind Harry.

…Malfoy fell off the broom and lay facedown, gasping, coughing, and retching. Harry rolled over and sat up: The door to the Room of Requirement had vanished, and Ron and Hermione sat panting on the floor beside Goyle, who was still unconscious. “C-Crabbe,” choked Malfoy as soon as he could speak. “C-Crabbe . . .”

“He’s dead,” said Ron harshly and Harry had no idea why Malfoy was crying over someone who had just tried to kill him.

…“It must have been Fiendfyre!” whimpered Hermione, her eyes on the broken pieces.

“Sorry?”

“Fiendfyre — cursed fire — it’s one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared use it, it’s so dangerous — how did Crabbe know how to — ?”

“Must’ve learned from the Carrows,” said Harry grimly.

“Shame he wasn’t concentrating when they mentioned how to stop it, really,” said Ron, whose hair, like Hermione’s, was singed, and whose face was blackened. “If he hadn’t tried to kill us all, I’d be quite sorry he was dead.”

“So I was right, the diadem was important.” Malfoy said, hand and on the wall and slowly standing up. “That mad fucker really split his soul huh? Let me guess, his oversized pet is a Horcrux too right? Ow do close your mouths of course I figured it out, I’m surprised not many people have. People don’t just die and come back to life, besides his not even that powerful.”

Harry reached into his robe and pulled out Goyle’s wand and handed it to Malfoy. “I still don’t trust you but you might need that, yours works to well for me to just hand it over…”

He broke off as yells and shouts and the unmistakable noises of dueling filled the corridor. Harry looked around and his heart seemed to fail: Death Eaters had penetrated Hogwarts. Fred and Percy had just backed into view, both of them dueling masked and hooded men. Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran forward to help: Jets of light flew in every direction and the man dueling Percy backed off, fast: Then his hood slipped and they saw a high forehead and streaked hair

“Hello, Minister!” bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. “Did I mention I’m resigning?”

“You’re joking, Perce!” shouted Fred as the Death Eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of three separate Stunning Spells. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground with tiny spikes erupting all over him; he seemed to be turning into some form of sea urchin. Fred looked at Percy with glee. “You actually are joking, Perce. . . . I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since you were —”

The air exploded. They had been grouped together, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and Percy, the two Death Eaters at their feet, one Stunned, the other Transfigured; and in that fragment of a moment, when danger seemed temporarily at bay, the world was rent apart. Harry felt himself flying through the air, and all he could do was hold as tightly as possible to that thin stick of wood that was his one and only weapon, and shield his head in his arms: He heard the screams and yells of his companions without a hope of knowing what had happened to them — And then the world resolved itself into pain and semidarkness: He was half buried in the wreckage of a corridor that had been subjected to a terrible attack. Cold air told him that the side of the castle had been blown away, and hot stickiness on his cheek told him that he was bleeding copiously.

Then he heard a terrible cry that pulled at his insides, that expressed agony of a kind neither flame nor curse could cause, and he stood up, swaying, more frightened than he had been that day, more frightened, perhaps, than he had been in his life. . . . And Hermione was struggling to her feet in the wreckage, and three redheaded men and one black man were grouped on the ground where the wall had blasted apart. Harry grabbed Hermione’s hand as they staggered and stumbled over stone and wood. “No — no — no!” someone was shouting.

“His going to be okay.” Zabini said, an unconscious Fred in his arms. “He hit his head and is bleeding really bad but if we get him to Pomfrey fast enough, he’ll be fine.”

“How did you even get here?” Percy growled, he clearly wanted to hold his brother but was scared of doing more damage.

“Hiding in the shadows.” Zabini smirked. “Have you seen my perfect complexion, makes hiding even easier.”

“Thank you.” Ron chocked out, “your shield charm might have saved him.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. Let’s get him help first, I’m not good at healing charms.”

…“I’m Draco Malfoy, I’m Draco, I’m on your side!” Malfoy was on the upper landing, pleading with another masked Death Eater. The death eater lowered his wand and Malfoy quickly pulled out his. “Incarcerous!” He yelled and the Death Eaters hands were tied in thick ropes. Malfoy got his wand with a smug look on his face and then punched him in the face. “Asshole.” He spat at the man then walked away. Harry, Ron and Hermione watched him go with shocked expressions on their faces.

…Then Malfoy nearly walked into him. He was one half of a pair that was carrying a body in from the grounds. Harry glanced down and felt another dull blow to his stomach. Daphne Greengrass, one of the Slytherin girls in their year. She must have sneaked back just as Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had done. She looked like she could have been sleeping.

“You know what? I can manage her alone, Draco. Pansy said Goyle had you under the Cruciatus. You should rest.” said Theodore Nott, another Slytherin and he heaved Greengrass over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift and carried her into the Great Hall.

Malfoy leaned against the door frame for a moment and wiped at his cheeks with the back of his hand. He looked like an old man. Malfoy had also lost friends and just what had he and the other Slytherins given up to be on this side of the battle. Harry took one glance back at the entrance of the Great Hall. People were moving around, trying to comfort each other, drinking, kneeling beside the dead, but he could not see any of the people he loved, no hint of Hermione, Ron, Ginny, or any of the other Weasleys, no Luna. He felt he would have given all the time remaining to him for just one last look at them; but then, would he ever have the strength to stop looking? It was better like this.

“Malfoy.”

“The fuck!” He cursed, wand out pointing at thin air. Harry noticed it wasn’t Goyle’s wand that he was using. Harry pulled off the Cloak: The idea had come to him out of nowhere, born out of a desire to make absolutely sure. “Potter.” He said releasing a breath and dropping his wand. “What are you doing out here, alone?” Malfoy asked suspiciously.

“It’s all part of the plan,” said Harry. “There’s something I’ve got to do. Listen — Malfoy —”

“You’re going to hand yourself over to that pretentious bastard aren’t you.” Malfoy said and it wasn’t even a question. Harry thought about lying to him but couldn’t. “It has to be this way."

“You’re a bloody Horcrux aren’t you?”

“You know Malfoy, I never thought I’d say this but you are way smarter than I thought you were.”

“Of course I am.” He snorted then grinned, actually grinned at Harry and Harry knew he really was going to die.

“Nagini, if you get the chance. Kill her and that’s it, he’ll be weak and he can die.”

“I swear on my life, first chance I get, I’m beheading that bitch.”

“Thank you.” Harry made to walk away but Malfoy held his wrist and he turned back towards the taller boy.

“I…I don’t hate you Po…Harry. I never did, I’m just a spoiled brat that can’t rejection and you look really hot when you’re pissed off.”

“What?” Harry asked, his brain having a meltdown. On all the bizarre things that had occurred in the last twenty four hours Malfoy calling hot tops it all.

“I said what I said and I’m not repeating it again.” Then he leaned forward and kissed Harry on the lips, it was so quick he might have just imagined it. “Good luck. And for what it’s worth, I wish you didn’t have to die.”

… “Come Draco, join us.” Voldemort said holding out his hand. Malfoy wiped at his eyes that were constantly dropping tears and slowly limped to where his father stood. Harry couldn’t believe he had been stupid enough to think Malfoy had changed, in the end he was still a coward. “That’s it my boy. The rest of you seem to have made you…” But he was cut short by Malfoy shouting. “Diffindo! Sectumsempra!” He threw two of most power curses consecutively and Nagini didn’t stand a chance, they cut threw her and neatly severed her head. Harry had never been more glad Malfoy was a cunning Slytherin.

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language but hope you guys like it. If anyone would love to help correct this please hit me up. And somebody help me with the title. I don't like what I have so far. Comment and let me know what you think.


End file.
